Eagles, Jags, Tigers show pool improvement

Enthusiasm is high for the Belen, Los Lunas and Valencia swimming teams and, thankfully, so is the water temperature at the Eagle Natatorium on the Belen High School campus.

For much of the early part of the 2022 season, the water was not heated because underground gas lines were being repaired, making for short, unpleasant workouts in the pool. Whether or not there is a correlation between tolerable water conditions this year and improved times, the Eagles, Tigers and Jaguars are showing improvement.

“Making history over here,” is how first-year Belen head coach Liz Jones describes the first month of the season, as swimmers look ahead to the state championships.

“No Belen boys’ team in the past has qualified in multiple relays or had multiple individual boys’ qualifiers in one season,”  Jones said. Not until this year.

The relay team of Cole Rodriguez, Dylan Jones, Diego Vigil and Nehemiah Sanchez qualified for state in the 400 freestyle and the 200 medley, while Rodriguez, Jones, Vigil and Josh Servantes have hit the standard in the 200 freestyle relay.

Dylan Jones, a senior, qualified individually in 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle, while Vigil is off to state in the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle.

“We’re just cutting more and more of our times,” said Dylan Jones, the coach’s son. “We all got better over the summer. We just kind of picked up where we left off after last season.”

It doesn’t hurt that they are training under normal conditions.

“We’re getting more time in the pool. Last year, it was cold,” Rodriguez said with a smile. “We couldn’t do much.”

Liz Jones took over coaching duties when Lin Onsae resigned.

“I’m using a lot of the workouts that Lin prepared last season and then some of my own stuff that I’ve been researching, kind of mixing them together — It’s going way better than I thought it was going to.”

Dylan Jones says it is “fun” having his mother as a head coach, which does have some advantages.

“I already know how to read her,” he said.

As for the BHS girls, Iris Silva and Isabella Landovazo are inching toward state qualifying times.

Both the Valencia and Los Lunas programs, boys and girls, are coached by Marissa Candelaria-Kimbrell. The teams not only share a coach, but pool time at Eagle Natatorium.

In recent years, the Tigers and Jaguars have been hampered by a lack of numbers, but the news on that front is encouraging.

“It’s looking pretty good,” Candelaria-Kimbrell said. “We have a much bigger team this year — 33 (swimmers) between the two schools,” with most competing for LLHS.

The size of the roster has allowed the Los Lunas boys to have full relay teams, “so we are able to kind of mix and match.”

Grady Chavez has been a mainstay and is close to the state standard in the 50 freestyle.

LLHS also entered three girls’ relays at a recent meet, led by Rio Romero and Samantha Berela.

“I hope to make state in breaststroke and qualify soon so I can make more events throughout the season,” said Barela, a senior.

The future is encouraging for Valencia as well.

“We actually have a full girls’ relay team this year,” Candelaria-Kimbrell noted. “We haven’t had a Valencia relay in over four years.”

On the boys’ side, Andres Burkhard, a sophomore, qualified for the state meet over the weekend in the 100 breaststroke after just missing the mark one year ago.

Burkhard was the lone Jaguar boy’s swimmer last season, but now has two teammates.

“We’re small, but it should be a better season,” said Burkhard. “It’s getting better every year.”

Candelaria-Kimbrell has a handful of swimmers who are competing for the first time. They spend practice time at one end of the pool, learning the basic strokes.

“Our goals are to definitely gets some people into state,” Candelaria-Kimbrell said about both LLHS and VHS.

The 2024 Swimming and Diving State Championship is Feb. 23-24 at Albuquerque Academy Natatorium.